FUNIMATION ACQUIRES “MY HERO ACADEMIA” SEASON 2; EPISODES TO STREAM SAME DAY AS JAPANESE BROADCAST

March 1, 2017

Following the successful first season of the most highly-anticipated, new series of 2016, Funimation® Entertainment revealed today that it has acquired rights to Season 2 of My Hero Academia. In a first for the series, My Hero Academia will premiere simultaneously in Japan, U.S., Canada, U.K. and Ireland on Saturday, April 1, 2017. Including the premiere, Funimation will present the first six episodes of both the English-subtitled simulcast and English SimulDub™ on the same day they are broadcast in Japan. Simulcast and SimulDub episodes will both be available on FunimationNow. Ahead of the premiere, a special, Season 1 recap episode of My Hero Academia will premiere in Japan on Saturday, March 25.

“My Hero Academia was one of the most eagerly anticipated new anime series to launch in 2016. It was a big hit with our fans and the #1 show on FunimationNow last year,” said Gen Fukunaga, CEO and founder of Funimation. “We’re very excited to be presenting the first six episodes of My Hero Academia – both simulcast and SimulDub – on the same day they air in Japan. I have no doubts that Season 2 will be another fantastic season and will build on the great characters and storylines from last year.”

Also, Part 3 of Kuroko's Basketball Winter Cup Highlights will be available today at 5pm PST for members in North America, South America, United Kingdom, Ireland, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Denmark, Finland, Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden.

We've got some exciting news for The Ancient Magus' Bride fans- there will be a TV anime series coming this fall, and Crunchyroll is excited to be simulcasting the 2-cour series starting October 2017! Additionally, territories for this title are WORLDWIDE ex Japan, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau.

It’s less than a month away from the official U.S. release of one of the biggest animated films from 2016 - Your Name, which is finally coming to theaters on April 7, 2017, available in both sub and dub! Buy tickets here.

Makoto Shinkai, the director of Your Name, is known for his beautiful cinematography and heart-wrenching storytelling. To help you get a taste of the world of Shinkai, Crunchyroll is proud to present “Shinkai Weekend”! In collaboration with Funimation, starting from this week we will be bringing you new content and/or prizes leading up to the theatrical premiere of Your Name. So stay tuned for more info!

This week, we’re introducing you the four films directed by Makoto Shinkai that are available on Crunchyroll. More importantly, we’re releasing the high resolution (1080p) version of 5 Centimeters Per Second for limited time only. Enjoy!

HOUSTON, MARCH 15, 2017 – Sentai Filmworks rocks it out with their latest acquisition, Anonymous Noise! Based on the manga written by Ryoko Fukuyama and currently running in the bimonthly comic anthology Hana to Yume, Anonymous Noise is an exciting addition to Sentai’s Spring 2017 anime lineup!

Blessed with a beautiful voice, Nino only sings for one reason: to be found. Nino finds herself looking for two boys who left her without reason, Momo and Yuzu. By chance, all three of them end up in the same high school, and Nino discovers that her singing isn’t in vain. As they rediscover their bonds, the group realizes that time changes many things, and sometimes certain things can’t be repaired.

The series will be directed by Hideya Takahashi (Keijo!!!!!!!!), with sound direction by Takayuki Yamaguchi (Matoi the Sacred Slayer), and series composition by Deko Akao (Flying Witch, Urara Meirocho). Brain’s Base (My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU, Amnesia) will be in charge of animation production.

Anonymous Noise is scheduled for an April 2017 release in Japan. It will soon be available to stream on select digital outlets for the Spring 2017 simulcast season, with a home video release to follow.

Hey everyone! We're approaching the spring season quickly, and to get everyone ready for one of the most action-packed series returning this spring, we have a special compilation of Berserk to get you all caught up in preparation for season 2!

The Season 1 Compilation Special will be available today at 4pm PDT for members worldwide except for: Asia, New Zealand, Australia.

But wait, preparation for season 2? That's right! The second season of Berserk returns to Crunchyroll starting this spring, as Guts continues on his quest for revenge! We've got some really exciting and special news coming soon, so be sure to stay tuned for more information!

HOUSTON, MARCH 16, 2017 – Get ready to ride the Wheel of Reincarnation once more in Sentai Filmworks’ latest addition to the Spring 2017 anime lineup: RIN-NE 3. Rinne Rokudo, Rokumon, and Sakura Mamiya are back for more misadventures in a story that pairs school life with the afterlife.

Saving lost souls on the tightest budget known to man is only a day’s work for half-human, half-Shinigami kind-of-thing Rinne! Together with the almost too-collected Sakura and his black cat Rokumon, life continues as normal as Rinne helps guide the dead to their final rest. However, new transfers are never a good sign, and a popular fortune teller ends up at Rinne and Sakura’s school as their new teacher. Things get chaotic when a strange girl wielding a scythe makes an appearance, and Rinne realizes that he might discover a major piece surrounding the mystery of his past.

Based on the original manga by famed manga-ka Rumiko Takahashi (Inuyasha, Maison Ikkoku, Ranma ˝), the series will be directed by Hiroshi Ishiodori (RIN-NE; Kiss Him, Not Me). Brain’s Base (Natsume’s Book of Friends, My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU) returns to handle animation production for the third season of RIN-NE.

RIN-NE 3 is scheduled for an April 8th release in Japan. It will soon be available to stream on select digital outlets for the Spring 2017 simulcast season with a home video release to follow.

A second addition comes to the Crunchyroll library today as the Trinity Seven Movie, TRINITY SEVEN ETERNITY LIBRARY & ALCHEMIC GIRL launches tonight at 10pm PDT! Regions will be updated later on, so check back for more info!

NHK World handed out flyers at conventions that announced they would air Dragon Dentist sometime in March.
As NHK World is transmitted worldwide, that would include the countries that are region-locked at Crunchy

Translator Dan Kanemitsu revealed on Tuesday that he worked on an English dub of The Dragon Dentist special, the feature-length version of the first short from the Japan Anima(tor)'s Exhibition (Japan Animator Expo) project. The first part of the special will premiere on NHK World on Friday at 7:10 p.m. EDT and the second part will air on Saturday at the same time. The first part will also air on Saturday at 1:10 a.m., 6:10 p.m., and 1:10 p.m. EDT, and the second part will air on Sunday at the same time.

It's time to duel--As more Yu-Gi-Oh! English dubs make their way to the US and territories! Now viewers can catch Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's and Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL in the US as well, in addition to previous territories!

To top it all off, we've also added the third season of Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL dub to the Crunchyroll library as well, so it's time to feel the flow and get dueling!

Digital, Broadcast, Home Media And Merchandising Rights
Acquired For North And Latin America For New Anime
Series Focusing On The Rebellious Son Of Legendary Ninja

Hulu Will Be U.S. Streaming Partner, With Simulcast Series
Premiere On April 5th

San Francisco, CA, March 23, 2017 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), a premier company in the fields of publishing, animation distribution, and global entertainment licensing, has announced the acquisition of digital, broadcast, home media and master merchandising rights to BORUTO: NARUTO NEXT GENERATIONS. VIZ Media acquired the rights for the highly-anticipated anime series for the North American and Latin American markets.

In partnership with VIZ Media, the first episode of the new series will make its U.S. simulcast premiere on Hulu beginning April 5 th , the same day as its premiere in Japan. New episodes will continue to premiere weekly on Wednesdays.

BORUTO: NARUTO NEXT GENERATIONS is the action-packed continuation of the famed NARUTO anime series and focuses on the adventures of the son of the celebrated ninja. Ahead of the next installment of the famed NARUTO SHIPPUDEN franchise, Hulu subscribers can catch up on the entire NARUTO SHIPPUDEN collection beginning March 23rd by visiting the official show page, and future episodes of BORUTO: NARUTO NEXT GENERATIONS will become available to stream here:*hulu.com/boruto.

As the series opens, the life of the shinobi is beginning to change. Boruto Uzumaki, son of Seventh Hokage Naruto Uzumaki, has enrolled in the Ninja Academy to learn the ways of the ninja. Now, as a series of mysterious events unfolds, Boruto’s story is about to begin!

“We are very excited to announce the acquisition of BORUTO: NARUTO NEXT GENERATIONS and know that fans everywhere will be looking forward to the debut of these new episodes,” says Charlene Ingram, VIZ Media’s Senior Manager of Animation Marketing. “The stage is set for intense adventures featuring a fresh cast of ninjas from the Hidden Leaf Village!”

VIZ Media plans to create an English dub for series episodes featuring the talented cast highlighted in BORUTO: NARUTO THE MOVIE including Amanda Miller in the lead role of Boruto, Cherami Leigh as Sarada, the daughter of Sasuke from the original NARUTO series, and Robbie Daymond as the mysterious “synthetic human” shinobi, Mitsuki.

For additional information on BORUTO anime and manga titles distributed and published by VIZ Media, please visit VIZ.com.

It's only been a few hours, but we are also super excited to announce that in addition to the exciting news about BORUTO coming this spring, My Hero Academia Season 2 will also be simulcasting on Crunchyroll starting on April 1! Additionally, we will have all of Season 1 available before launch for everyone to get caught up before the second season!

My Hero Academia will be available to members in the following regions: US, Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Denmark, Iceland, Norway, Sweden.

Season 2 to Premiere on All Three Platforms Together with Japan on April 1

FLOWER MOUND, TEXAS – March 21 2017. On the heels of its acquisition of “My Hero Academia” Season 2 earlier this month, Funimation® Entertainment announced today that English-subtitled simulcast episodes of the new season will stream on both Crunchyroll and Hulu, which will launch on April 1 along with the English SimulDub™ on FunimationNow as part of the simultaneous premiere with Japan. As part of this announcement, Funimation will now exclusively stream English SimulDub episodes of “My Hero Academia” Season 2 on FunimationNow while English-subtitled simulcast episodes of the new season will exclusively stream on Hulu and Crunchyroll. As previously revealed, the first six episodes of both the English-subtitled simulcast and English SimulDub will launch on the same day they are broadcast in Japan.

“We’re pleased to partner with both Hulu and Crunchyroll to bring ’My Hero Academia’ Season 2 to both their streaming services,” said Gen Fukunaga, CEO and founder of Funimation. “We look forward to launching the new season with them alongside FunimationNow during the simultaneous premiere with Japan on April 1.”

“We’re excited to make ‘My Hero Academia’ Season 2 accessible to more and more anime fans through this partnership with Crunchyroll and Hulu,” said Mike DuBoise, EVP and COO of Funimation. “Fans can look forward to another great season of ‘My Hero Academia beginning April 1.’”